Salah Abdel Shafi was born in Gaza in 1962 and studied Economics at the Berlin School of Economics. Until 2006, he worked with various civil society and international organizations in Palestine, particularly in Gaza. From 2006 to 2010, he served as the PLO Representative and General Delegate of Palestine to Sweden. He then served as Ambassador and Head of the Palestinian Diplomatic Mission in Germany from 2010 to 2013. Since September 2013, Abdel Shafi has been the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Austria and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna. Since October 2014, he has also served as Ambassador to Slovenia, and since 2021 as Ambassador to Croatia, with residence in Vienna. He speaks Arabic, English, and German.